PARKER AND FA CLASH IN NEW ZEALAND - 15Rounds

PARKER AND FA CLASH IN NEW
ZEALAND

Joseph Parker and Junior Fa will clash in the biggest fight in
New Zealand boxing history, live on DAZN from Spark Arena,
Auckland, on Friday December 11 (NZ time).

Former WBO World Heavyweight ruler Parker (27-2 21 KOs) is
ranked #3 with the WBO and is plotting his return to World
champion status having stopped Shawndell Winters in five
rounds in his last outing in Dallas in February.

Unbeaten Fa (19-0 10 KOs) is hot on Parker’s heels in the WBO
rankings at number six and the 30 year old will be determined
to come out on top in the biggest fight of his life with huge
stakes on the table. The South Auckland fighters are aiming
for a shot at the WBO World title and the winner of this
highly anticipated bout will put them on a trajectory for a
huge 2021.

“This is going to be war,” said Eddie Hearn. “We’re looking
forward to co-promoting our first event in New Zealand with
David Higgins and Duco. There’s plenty of needle with the
amateur rivalry and there’s national pride at stake. A win
over Fa will catapult Joe back into World Title contention.”

“Given the challenges facing major sporting events around the
globe right now, getting this fight over the line is

absolutely huge, and we are grateful to our partners Matchroom
for their backing to make this happen” said Parker’s manager
and Duco’s founder and Director David Higgins. “With both
boxers inside the WBO top 10 world rankings and in their
prime, this is undeniably New Zealand’s fight of the
century.”

The match-up will be a mouth-watering prospect for Kiwi boxing
fans and for all sports fans starved of big events. The demand
for a Heavyweight bout of this stature is enormous and the
pay-per-view audience is expected to reflect that. With so
much at stake for both fighters and the previous history of
Parker and Fa winning two bouts each in their amateur days,
commentators are already talking about the bout being an
instant classic with fans standing firmly on both sides of the
ring.

“I’ve always believed that Junior Fa had the ability to become
a World champion and, on December 11, he’ll have the
opportunity to prove that against a former Heavyweight
champion and amateur rival, in countryman Joseph Parker,”
said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Not
only is this matchup one of the biggest fights in New Zealand
history, it has high significance on the Heavyweight landscape
worldwide, with the winner closing in on a world title shot.
With a win, Junior can become a New Zealand sports superstar
and a worldwide boxing star in one night. I’m proud to co-
promote this historic fight card with David Higgins’ Duco
Events and Matchroom.”

“Parker’s an Auckland born Samoan, Fa an Auckland born Tongan;
the fight is taking place in the largest Polynesian city in
the world; both fighters are close to and desperate for a
title shot; they have a split history in amateur fights, and
they are both members of the same Mormon Church. This fight
already has everything,” said Higgins.

In a second huge announcement, Events company Duco Events,
Spark Sport and media partner New Zealand Media and
Entertainment (NZME) today also announced a New Zealand first
three-way partnership to finally get Parker and Fa in the
ring.

“The Parker Fa match-up sits perfectly with Spark Sport’s
purpose to deliver premium live and on-demand sports to a
wide-reaching audience. The arrangement between Spark Sport,
Duco Events, NZME and the support of presenting partner
Stonewood Homes is a great example of not just sitting back
and waiting for a sport to come to you, instead we’ve all got
together and made it happen. This will be our second major
pay-per-view event after we streamed the Whyte Povetkin bout
back in August, so we’re excited to bring this Kiwi based
event to New Zealand as the exclusive broadcaster,” said Head
of Spark Sport, Jeff Latch.

Getting the Parker and Fa fight over the line has taken more
than eight months of negotiations with the boxers, yet the
innovative partnership between Duco Events, Spark Sport, NZME,
with the support of presenting partner Stonewood Homes, was
pulled together in less than eight weeks, demonstrating the
enthusiasm to change the way sport is delivered and promoted
in New Zealand, while also ensuring the event took place this
year and on Kiwi soil.

“It’s been a tough year for New Zealand sports fans with so
little in the way of world class live sporting events since
Covid-19 hit. For NZME this event encapsulates why we are
committed to delivering the very best content to our audiences
and advertisers, keeping Kiwis in the know. We are proud to
support a spectacle like this, alongside Spark Sport and Duco,
to bring sport back to a big arena where it deserves to be,”
said NZME Chief Revenue Officer Paul Hancox.

The Heavyweight boxing match-up also marks the return of

large-scale marquee events, with 9,000 expected to fill-out
Auckland’s Spark Arena for the December 11 event.

“Events companies have been absolutely smashed by the pandemic
and we’re really proud that our collaboration with Spark
Sport, NZME and the support of Stonewood Homes plus our global
collaboration with Matchroom and Di Bella has given us the
opportunity to let New Zealanders get back to experiencing the
excitement, the drama and the fun that an event like this
creates,” said Duco’s Higgins.

“We would really like to thank and acknowledge Stonewood Homes
for their support of this event and their contribution to the
re-build of not only the events industry but also the local
economy who all benefit from an event which attracts visitors
and   locals   to  spend    within   the   region,”    said
Higgins. “Without key sponsorship relationships, events such
as Stonewood Homes, Joseph Parker v Junior Fa would not get
off the ground.”

Stonewood Homes has built nearly 7,000 homes for Kiwi families
since 1987.
“We are proud to support world-class athletes Joseph Parker
and Junior Fa, while helping rebuild New Zealand’s economy by
getting events going again,” said Managing Director John
Chow.
Stonewood Homes Joseph Parker vs Junior Fa, Friday 11th
December 2020 Spark Arena, Auckland New Zealand.

Tickets from $69 + fees at www.ticketmaster.co.nz.
Corporate Hospitality available at www.ducoevents.com.

Pay-per-view will be priced on a tiered model with super early
bird pricing of $39.99 available from today increasing to an

early bird price of $49.99 on 27th October and then reverting
to the final pay-per-view cost of $59.99 for viewers who

purchase the day before or the same day as the fight (10th and

11th of December).